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Did you know that every month 50 people gather for a fantastic home-cooked banquet in Thrapston, as Peterborough Diocese work in partnership with other denominations and charities to deliver Youth Ministry Training?
Prior to 2018 Youth ministry had been at a bit of a low ebb with many groups stopping meeting and volunteers were feeling isolated and discouraged. A group of people from both the Diocese, Souster Youth and other organisations decided to do something about it and since then they’ve trained 199 local people, many of whom would never consider themselves to be a 'youth worker' but simply have a big heart for supporting young people and sharing their faith with the younger generations.
The full-time youth workers really enjoy it too, with many people saying it's the best training they've ever been on. There is something for everyone, and the atmosphere is buzzing.
In previous courses the course has looked at big issues such as Racial Justice, or helped youth leaders deepen faith by exploring spiritual practices together with young people. At the moment they are running the ten-session Youthscape Essentials course, which covers everything from building rapport with young people and adolescent development, to school life, digital addiction and how to talk to young people about gender and sexuality.
Chad Chadwick, the Diocese Youth Mission Enabler sees the difference the training can make to those who attend, he said ‘Seeing those 'penny drop' moments as the interactive sessions help people to engage with young people in a way that feels culturally connected, but very natural too is the highlight for me. We strongly believe that people of all ages and backgrounds can work alongside young people. I've also enjoyed seeing youth leaders connecting and supporting one another as they eat, share and pray together in community’.
Whilst many people sign up for the whole course, you can just come for one session if there is a particular theme that resonates. Everyone is welcome! Check out this link for more details and tickets.